THE NUBIAN POTTERY from the PALACE DISTRICT of AVARIS at Cezbet HELMI, AREAS H/III and H/VI PART I: the “CLASSIC” KERMA POTTERY from the 18TH DYNASTY
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THE NUBIAN POTTERY FROM THE PALACE DISTRICT OF AVARIS AT cEZBET HELMI, AREAS H/III AND H/VI PART I: THE “CLASSIC” KERMA POTTERY FROM THE 18TH DYNASTY By Perla Fuscaldo* During the excavations carried out by the Austrian Most of the Kerma sherds are from the area Archaeological Institute in Egypt under the direc- H/VI,5 only two of them from H/III.6 The sherds tion of Manfred Bietak in the western part of Tell el- from H/VI come from the large palace (G)7 and c c 1 8 9 Dab a/Avaris, at Ezbet Helmi areas H/III and from its annex building (J); from the workshop W2 H/VI,2 thirty Kerma sherds were found in pottery and the workshop area;10 from artificial deposits of assemblages from the 18th Dynasty (Str. d = Ph. C/3 pottery,11 the mud filling of a pit,12 a rubbish and Str. c = Ph. C/2).3 This pottery is fully described deposit,13 an artificial deposition of mud-brick below, in The Catalogue.4 debris,14 all of them located south of that palace. * National Scientific Council (Department of Egyptology, this time. L 4001 (H/VI-u/13–16) is the other room of IMHICIHU-CONICET), Buenos Aires, 2001. the workshop W2, with a large amount of objects made of 1 1993–1994 and 1997–1998. limestone, bases of columns, pottery, pumice fragments 2 1999–2000. and animal bones. The most recent pottery is also from 3 On the description and the stratigraphy of cEzbet Helmi, the Amarna period. The mud-brick debris inside L 4001 see: M. BIETAK, J. DORNER und P. JÁNOSI, Ausgrabungen in is called L 4001V. L 4041 is a pottery collection on the dem Palastbezirk von Avaris. Vorbericht Tell el-Dabca/cEz- courtyard before the entrance to the workshop, and L bet Helmi 1994–1998, Ä&L 11 (2001), 30ff, and M. 4023 another pottery assemblage that covered the room BIETAK ‘Rich beyond the Dreams of Avaris: Tell el-Dabca of a house (L 4025) leading to the courtyard mentioned and the Aegean World – a Guide for the Perplexed’. A above. (M. BIETAK et al., 3. Ausgrabungen in den Arealen Response to Eric H. Cline, ABSA 95 (2000), fig. 1. H/II–III and H/VI, op. cit., 48ff; iidem, op. cit., 89ff: 5. Der 4 The Kerma pottery from H/I, H/II and H/IV is being Hauptpalast G der 18. Dynastie (Areale H/II–III, H/VI) studied by Irmgard Hein. (Str. d–c), Die Werkstätten W1–2 des Str. c (Ph.C/2). 5 Twenty-eight sherds. 10 No. 21 from L 4026 (H/VI-t/13, Str. c = Ph. C/2), a 6 Nos. 10 and 20. No. 10 was found in a filling (H/III- room related to the workshop W2 (Ibid.). This room q/16, plan 0–1, Str. a?), with material of the 18th has no floor and is filled with sand. L 4026 is cut by the Dynasty, and No. 20 in mud-brick debris (H/ III-r/19, thick wall M 1204 with bastions (H/VI-s-t/12–13, Str. plan 0–1, Str. b/1), with pottery of the late 18th Dynasty b/2 = Ph. C/1) as part of a fortification from the as the most recent ceramics. Tutankhamun and Horemheb period. For this reason 7 No. 11 from L 3004V in the north part of the palace G some post Amarna sherds were found (M. BIETAK et al., (H/VI-h/18, Str. d = Ph. C/3). L 3004V is the mud-brick 3. Ausgrabungen in den Arealen H/II–III and H/VI, debris inside the room L 3004, which belongs to the first op. cit.; iidem, op. cit., 89ff: 5. Der Hauptpalast (G) der phase of the palace, and the pottery is similar to that from 18. Dynastie (Areale H/II–III, H/VI) (Str. d–c), Die L 3005 (see note 11), the filling of the terrace L 3010. Werkstätten W1–2 des Str. c (Ph.C/2). 8 From the wall M 1232 (No. 9) (H/VI-u/12, Str. d = Ph. 11 L 4107 (Nos. 1 and 23), and L 4107A above the first one C/3). It is a strong wall built to enlarge the ramp of the (Nos. 4, 12, 16, 18, 24 and 25). The pottery assemblage building (J), an annex to the palace G and above of L from L 4107 –used to level the surface- typologically 4107 cf. M. BIETAK et al., E&L 11, 3. Ausgrabungen in belongs to the stratum d, the early mid 18th Dynasty den Arealen H/II–III and H/VI, 48ff; iidem: op. cit., 85: and it is one of the largest found in Tell el-Dabca. This 5. Der Hauptpalast (G) der 18. Dynastie (Areale collection will be published together with the ceramics H/II–III, H/VI) (Str. d–c), Der palatiale Anbau (J). from L 3005, from the north part of the palace G, in P. 9 Nos. 3 and 17 from L 4021; Nos. 26, 28 and 30 from the FUSCALDO, Tell el-Dabca X, Part III: The Pottery from the workshop L 4001, and Nos. 15, 22, 27 and 29 from the early mid 18th Dynasty (together with C. KOHEN and S. debris (L 4001V) of the same locus. No. 2 was found in the VIGLIANI (Locus 3005) and C. KOHEN, S. BASÍLICO and L. pottery collection L 4041 and No. 19 in the pottery assem- MARTÍNEZ (Locus 4107)), forthcoming. blage L 4023. All these loci belong to the Str. c = Ph. C/2. 12 L 4202 (No. 13). This pit cuts the walls M 1301 and M L 4021 (H/VI-t/13) is the mud-brick debris inside the 1302. The pottery typologically belongs to the Str. c room L 4020 in the workshop W2. There are some ceram- (David Aston personal communication). ics from the Amarna period (David Aston, personal com- 13 L 4014 in the south-east part of the square u/12 (Nos. munication) because the area is cut by a massive wall from 5 and 7). The most recent ceramics from this locus are 168 Perla Fuscaldo There is generally more than one Kerma sherd in feldspar and mica, tempered with sand and organic 15 the same locus, and in Locus 3004V there is also an plant fibre, Nile E1 in the “Vienna system”. The Egyptian imitation of a Kerma cooking pot. Kerma sherds made of Nile E1 have a fine to medi- All the Kerma pottery is hand-made in Nile silt um or medium groundmass, with a hardness fabrics, fired in controlled firing conditions. Three between 2 and 2–3. They fire red, reddish brown, fabrics are represented here. One is I-b-2,16 a Nile brown or light brown on the exterior surface, pol- clay with few sand grains, feldspar and mica, tem- ished with medium or low lustre, with a red slip. The pered with organic plant fibres, Nile B2 in the “Vien- interior is black, very dark or dark grey, polished na system”.17 The groundmass is fine to medium and with high or medium lustre, or coated. the hardness 2–3 in the modified Moh’s scale. This The break is entirely very dark grey, brown or fabric fires brown to reddish brown on the exterior yellowish red, or has a distinctive core with exterior and black, very dark grey, dark grey, or grey in the and interior zones (dark grey to dark reddish grey interior. The exterior surface has a red slip, polished or brown core, and very dark grey, dark reddish grey with high or medium lustre; the interior is polished to reddish brown exterior and interior zones). This with high, medium or low lustre. fabric is used for the “black-topped” bowls, except The sections are black or very dark grey all for two of them made of Nile B2. The rim or the through, or have a black interior zone and a very uppermost part of the vessel is black, very dark or thin brown exterior zone, or a very dark grey interi- dark grey, polished with medium or low lustre. or and a reddish brown exterior.18 This fabric is I-e-3 is a Nile clay with dominant rounded sand equivalent to II B in Nordström’s typology.19 grains, feldspar and mica, tempered with sand and The shapes that occur in this fabric are mainly coarse chaff. It can be called Nile E3 and is identified beakers, but also some bowls. Reisner called the style with II E in Nordström’s typology.21 The groundmass used to decorate the beakers characterised by a is medium or medium to coarse and the hardness 2. “black-topped” rim zone on a red polished slip, This fabric fires dark grey, brown to light brown; red- “beaker ware.” In the Kerma ceramics from Tell el- dish to light brown on the exterior and reddish to Dabca, the “black-topped” rim zone is black polished very dark grey inside, pinkish grey outside and dark with a high lustre of metallic sheen, black or very grey inside, brown to very dark grey on the exterior dark grey with medium or low lustre. The sherds and black inside, always polished with low lustre on from more complete beakers preserve a small irreg- the interior. The break is black, very dark grey or ular zone, dark to light grey (low lustre to matt), bril- dark reddish brown; yellowish red to reddish brown liant grey, matt pinkish grey and bluish grey to dark outside and very dark grey to black inside; or it has a bluish grey between the wide black-topped rim zone very dark grey to dark reddish grey core and dark and the red-slipped body.